Railcar

ABSTRACT

A covered hopper railcar includes side sheet means of undulating cross section having a center sideplate means secured to the side sheet means adjacent a point of reverse curvature thereof and extending longitudinally of the railcar. A top sideplate means extends longitudinally along the top of said side sheet means, and a side sill means extends longitudinally along the bottom of the side sheet means. The center sideplate means, the top sideplate means and the side sill means are all formed of steel while the side sheet means and roof are formed of aluminum, suitable aluminum shield means being provided for preventing contamination of lading by the steel members. The railcar includes a plurality of spaced hoppers and a longitudinally extending center sill means extending substantially throughout the length of the car. The roof of the car is of curved crosssectional configuration.

3,277,842 10/1966 Schwartz Jr. et al. 105/358 3,339,499 9/1967 Charleset al. 105/248 Primary Examiner-Drayton E. Hoffman Attorneylmirie,Smiley, Snyder & Butrum Rolf Mowatt-Larssen Kinnelon, NJ. Appl. No.789,241 [22] Filed Jan. 6, 1969 [45] Patented June 8,1971

Assignee Magor Railcar Division, Fruehauf m mma w w m 5 d5 0 0 1 61 cam4 "2 u/s 5" mmm m .w m m m n F n n M N m m m r u n [M D n u n cc m m i af. mmc u o d Mm s t. m RlU h F .l 1 .l .l 4 2 1 O b. w U H United StatesPatent [72] Inventor ABSTRACT: A covered hopper railcar includes sidesheet means of undulating cross section having a center sideplate meanssecured to the side sheet means adjacent a point of reverse curvaturethereof and extending longitudinally of the railcar. A top sideplatemeans extends longitudinally along the top of said side sheet means, anda side will means extends longitudinally along the bottom of the sidesheet means. The center sideplate means, the top sideplate means and theside sill means are all formed of steel while the side sheet means androof are formed of aluminum, suitable aluminum shield means beingprovided for preventing contamination of lading by the steel members.The railcar includes a plurality of spaced hoppers and a longitudinallyextending center sill means extending substantially throughout thelength of the car. The roof of the car is of curved cross-sectionalconfiguratio [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,253,5565/1966 Glaser et PATENTEU JUN 81971 SHEET 1 0F 4 INVENT OR filln ROLFMOWATT-LA RSSEN ATTORNl-IYS PATENTED JUN 81971 SHEET 2 [IF 4 N R m WA LI. Tl T A W 0 M F .L O R BY i ww @M ATTORNEYS PATENTEU JUN 8197!$583,331

sum 3 or 4 INVENTOR ROLF MOWATT LA RSSEN ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJUN 8l97l3583331 saw n []F 4 INVENTOh ROLF MOWATT- LARSS E N CD a N BY fi iuu(1140 (gilt thu ATTORNEYS RAILCAR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thepresent invention relates to a railcar, and more particularly to acovered hopper railcar. This type of railcar has for many yearsincorporated a conventional construction including straight verticalsides including vertically extending side stakes spaced along the sideto provide strength and stiffness. A flat or sloping roof is supportedby the sides. The provision of such stakes is expensive and since theyproject outwardly from the sides of the railcar, the internal cargocarrying capacity of the car is correspondingly reduced since the outerperiphery of the car must fit within specific clearance limitations asdefined by A.A.R. (Association of American Railroads).

In order to overcome the disadvantages attendant with a straightvertical side construction, hopper cars have been designed includingcurved sides and also including a curved roof. The provision of curvedsides eliminates the necessity of providing side stakes on the carthereby resulting in considerable economy since the material of the sidestakes is eliminated. The curvature of the sides provides sufflcientstiffness to take the necessary loads without requiring the provision ofany side stakes.

However, known constructions in railway hopper cars employ side sheetshaving an arcuate configuration of single curvature which results in aloss of cargo-carrying space within the internal confines of therailcar. So-called tank-type superstructures having curved side sheetsin the prior art have not employed a center sill means extendinglongitudinally throughout the length of the railcar, and as a result, inorder to obtain the necessary strength for withstanding impact andcompressive loads, a large amount of additional structure must beemployed.

Today, most covered hopper cars utilize a roof consisting of sheetsstrengthened by transverse stiffening members called carlines. Thecarlines are attached to the roof sheets and sideplates either bycontinuous or intermittent welds. The roof sheets are attached to thesideplates in most cases by an inside and an outside fillet weld. Thistype of roof construction is expensive to manufacture and undulyincreases the light weight of the railcar.

Additionally, covered hopper railcars have generally been constructedentirely of steel or the like which provides a relatively heavy railcarwhich limits the load-carrying capacity thereof. Steel also has theundesired effect of causing contamination to a number of substanceswhich are commonly carried by such cars. A further disadvantage of steelconstructions is the fact that they require undue maintenance tomaintain them in good operating condition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the present invention, the side sheet meansis of a unique construction including a curved top side sheet and aseparate curved bottom side sheet cooperating to define an overall sidesheet means defining an undulation cross-sectional configurationincluding adjacent curved portions having a portion therebetween ofreverse curvature. These side sheets are interconnected with one anotherby a longitudinally extending center sideplate means secured to thesheets adjacent the point of reverse curvature of the overall side sheetmeans. The side sheet means of the present invention provides the sameadvantages as associated with a side sheet means of single curvature byeliminating the necessity of providing side stakes and the like. At thesame time, the side sheet means of the present invention results inimproved volumetric efficiency as compared with railcars having a sidesheet of single curvature. This is true since the undulating side sheetmeans ol the present invention serves to more nearly approximate astraight vertical side and to thereby increase the internal dimensionsof the railcar, while at the same time retaining the advantages of asingle curved side sheet means. The side sheet means of the presentinvention also enables the outer contour of the railcar to fit withinthe existing standards defined by A.A.R.

The railcar of the present invention is illustrated as comprising acovered hopper car including a curved roof which eliminates thenecessity of providing carlines and thereby sub stantially reduces thecomplexity and cost of the roof construction as well as providing alighter construction. Additionally, the novel side construction of therailcar of the present invention may also be employed in both coveredand open top cars of other types.

The railcar of the present invention also includes a center sill meansextending longitudinally substantially throughout the length of therailcar. This arrangement can readily withstand impact and compressiveload encountered in use with a much more efficient utilization ofmaterial than in a construction wherein no longitudinally extendingcenter sill means is provided. Accordingly, the present invention provides the combined advantages of the conventional full center sillunderframe construction along with a tank-type superstructure.

The side sheet means and roof of the railcar are formed of aluminumthereby substantially reducing the weight of the railcar as comparedwith a steel construction. Accordingly, the load-carrying capacity ofthe present railcar is substantially greater than that of acorresponding size steel railcar construction. The hopper means of therailcar is also formed of aluminum so that lading may be effectivelycarried without the problem of contamination as would occur in a steelrailcar construction. Furthermore, the aluminum construction of thepresent invention serves to provide a substantially maintenance-freearrangement.

In order to rigidify and reinforce the side sheet means so that it isreadily able to withstand the loads applied thereto, center sideplatemeans is provided formed of a rigid material such as steel and suitablyinterconnected with the side sheet means to provide the necessarystrength. A top sideplate means and a side sill means ofa suitablematerial such as steel are also operatively interconnected with the sidesheet means in order to provide a very strong overall construction.

Joint means is also provided between the center sideplate means as wellas the top sideplate means and partitions dividing the hoppers from oneanother. These joints include steel members or the like, and in order toshield the lading from the center sideplate means, the top sideplatemeans and the joints, a suitable aluminum shield means is incorporatedat the inner surface of the railcar so that the lading cannot come intocontact with the steel members, but rather is in contact with aluminummembers at all times.

Members of like material are suitably connected as by welding, whilemembers of different material are interconnected by conventionalmechanical fastener means so that the railcar can be readily assembledin an effective and efficient manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a top perspective view ofarailcar according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse section taken through the center of one of thehoppers of the railcar shown in FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view illustrating the hatch frame construction atthe center of the roof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating the construction atthe top sideplate means;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 5-5 of FIG. 4looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating the construction atthe side sill means;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating the construction atthe center sideplate means;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 8-8 of FIG. 7looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 9-9 of FIG. 7looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 10 is a side view of the overall railcar with the left-hand halfofthe railcar being shown in longitudinal section.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawingswherein like reference characters designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views, as seen most clearly in FIGS. 1 and I0,the railcar includes conventional trucks indicated generally byreference numeral having the usual wheels thereon and including atransversely extending bolster assembly 24. A longitudinally extendingcenter sill means 26 of conventional construction extends throughout thelength ofthe railcar. The usual draft gear and coupler structure 28 isprovided at opposite ends of the railcar. An end sill 30 is provided ateach end of the railcar and a pair ofstub side sills 32 extendlongitudinally from each end sill, these stub side sills supportingtransition means 36 of a construction as described in copending US. Pat.Application Ser. No. 708,586, filed Feb. 27, 1968. This transition meanssupports a side sill means hereinafter described.

The railcar includes a side sheet means indicated generally by referencenumeral 40 of undulating cross section, the side sheet means at oppositesides of the railcar being substantially identical and supporting acurved roof indicated generally by reference numeral 42. Corner posts 44extend from the end sills of the railcar upwardly and are connected withthe upper portion of the side sheet means adjacent to the roof.

The side sheet means as well the roof are each formed of aluminum, andthe members defining the hoppers are also formed of aluminum. The endfloor sheets 50 of the two hoppers at opposite ends of the railcar areformed of aluminum and are provided with transversely extendingstiffeners 52. A body bolster assembly is supported above each of thetruck bolster assemblies in the usual manner, and a substantiallyvertically extending web plate 54 formed of steel extends upwardly fromthe associated body bolster and is interconnected with the associatedfloor sheet 50 by an aluminum angle member 56 which is secured tomembers 50 and 54 by mechanical fasteners.

Conventional running boards 46 extend longitudinally of the railcar andare supported in the operative position shown by a plurality of straps47 suitably supported by the roof. A plurality of hatches 48 extendthroughout the length of the railcar and provide access through the roofof the car to the hoppers defined therewithin. These hatches are made ofaluminum. The usual ladders, safety appliances and so forth are providedat the ends of the car and are of conventional construction.

As seen most clearly in FIG. I0, the railcar is a triple hopper carincluding three hoppers indicated generally by reference numerals 60 andhaving conventional bottom outlet structures 62 at the lower endsthereof. These hoppers are defined in the usual manner and include theend floor sheets 50 as previously described. Further sloping floorsheets 64 which are also formed of aluminum join with transverselyextending aluminum partitions 66 two of which divide the interior of thehopper car into the three hoppers illustrated. Sloping floor sheets 64are suitably secured to partitions 66 which are also formed of aluminumby welding or the like. Partitions 66 extend below the upper ends ofsloping floor sheets 64 of the hoppers, these downward extendingportions of partitions 66 being secured by mechanical fasteners to steelsupport means 68 which in turn are operatively interconnected with thecenter sill means. Suitable gusset plates 70 supported by the centersill means are provided in abutting relationship with the sloping floorsheets of the hoppers for reinforcing and strengthening the hoppers.

As seen in FIG. 2, the undulating side sheet means 40 includes a topside sheet 80 and a bottom side sheet 82, each of these side sheetsbeing of curved cross-sectional configuration and defining an overallside sheet means which has a center portion of reverse curvature ascompared with the main parts of the top and bottom side sheets. Thesetwo side sheets are interconnected with one another by a longitudinallyextending center sideplate means 84 which is formed of steel in contrastto the top and bottom side sheets which are both formed of aluminum. Alongitudinally extending top sideplate means 86 is also formed of steeland serves to interconnect the top side sheet with the roof sheet 42. Alongitudinally extending side sill means 88 is formed of steel and isinterconnected with the bottom side sheet and a sloping side sheet 90 ofan associated hopper. It should be understood that FIG. 2 illustratesone side of the railcar, the opposite side thereof being ofsubstantially identical construction to that illustrated and comprisinga mirror image thereof.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawings, the details of construction ofthe central portion of the roof are illustrated. As seen in this figure,each roof sheet 42 has the inwardly extending portion thereof suitablysecured as by welding to a hatch frame H00 which extends longitudinallyof the railcar. The laterally spaced hatch frames receive the hatches 48previously described and are provided with an upper arcuate portion I04adapted to cooperate with the hatches. A bar 106 is rigidly secured asby welding to the upper edge of each partition 66 and is supportedadjacent the undersurface of the hatch frames as illustrated.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings, the construction of thetop sideplate means and the joint between such means and an associatedpartition is illustrated. The top sideplate means which is formed ofsteel extends longitudinally substantially throughout the length of theside sheet means of the railcar and includes an upwardly sloping legportion 110 in abutting relationship with the undersurface of the curvedroof sheet 42. A plurality of longitudinally spaced mechanical fasteners112 interconnect leg 110 with the roof sheet.

The top sideplate means also includes a depending leg portion 114 whichis interconnected by a plurality of longitudinally spaced mechanicalfasteners 116 with the upper edge of the top side sheet 80.

Shield means 120 formed of aluminum have the upper and lower edgesthereof rigidly secured as by welding to the inner surfaces of roofsheet 42 and the top sideplate 80 respectively. These shield means 120extend up to and in abutting relationship with the associated partitionsand are suitably secured thereto by welding or the like as will beclearly seen from an inspection of FIGS. 5 and 10.

A joint is provided between the top sideplate means and each of thepartitions 66. Each of these joints includes a plate 124 formed of steeland rigidly secured as by welding to top sideplate means 86. This plateis secured by a plurality of mechanical fasteners 126 to the outer edgeportion of an associated partition 66.

It is apparent that the arrangement shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 enables arigid top sideplate means of steel or the like to be employed as well asa joint in the form of a plate 124 formed of steel, while thesecomponents are completely shielded from the lading within the hoppers byshield means 120.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the details of the connection of the side sillmeans to the bottom side sheet 82 and the sloping side sheet 90 of thehopper are illustrated. The side sill means 88 which is an angle memberformed of steel or the like includes a pair of legs 88a and 88b. Leg 88ais secured to the lower edge of bottom side sheet 82 by a plurality oflongitudinally spaced mechanical fasteners 130. It will be noted thatthe upper end 90a of the sloping side sheet 90 of the hopper isinterconnected with the bottom side sheet as by welding or the like at apoint above the interconnection of the side sill means with the bottomside sheet.

An angle member 132 formed of aluminum is suitably secured as by weldingto the outer surface of sloping side sheet 90, and is alsointerconnected with the leg 88b of the side sill means by a plurality oflongitudinally spaced mechanical fasteners 134. In this manner, the sidesill means which is formed of steel is completely shielded from theinterior of the hopper means so that the lading will not be contaminatedby coming into contact therewith.

Referring now to FIGS. 79, the details of the manner of interconnectionof the center sideplate means with the top and bottom side sheets areillustrated. As seen most clearly in H6. 7, center sideplate means 84 isof generally channel'shaped cross-sectional configuration, and aplurality of longitudinally spaced mechanical fasteners 140 interconnecta flange portion 142 of the center sideplate means with the top sidesheet 80.

A further plurality of longitudinally spaced mechanical fasteners 144serve to interconnect a lower flange 146 of the center sideplate meanswith the lower edge 80a of the top side sheet as well as the upper edgeof the bottom side sheet 82, these edges overlapping one another asshown. This center sideplate means extends longitudinally throughoutsubstantially the entire length of the side sheet means, and it isapparent that the construction will serve to rigidify and strengthen theside sheet means.

Shield means 150 are provided, each of these shield means having theupper edge thereof rigidly secured as by welding to the inner surface ofthe top side sheet and the lower edge thereof rigidly secured as bywelding to the inner surface of the bottom side sheet. These shieldmeans are adapted to engage opposite sides of partitions 66 and aresuitably secured thereto as by welding.

In order to provide an effective joint between the center sideplatemeans and each of the partitions, a plate 154 formed of steel or thelike is welded to the center sideplate means adjacent each of thepartitions and is disposed in abutting relationship with such partition.As seen most clearly in FIG. 9, plate 154 extends through a verticalcutout 156 formed in top sideplate 80 and also extends through avertical cutout of greater width 160 formed in the adjacent shield means150. A cutout 162 is provided in an adjacent shield means 150 to provideclearance for the heads of mechanical fasteners 164, a plurality ofthese mechanical fasteners being provided for interconnecting plate 154with the outer edge portion of the associated partition 66.

In order to prevent contact of the steel plate 154 with lading in thehopper, a further aluminum shield member 170 has the upper and loweredges thereof rigidly secured as by welding to the associated shieldmeans 150, member 170 also being rigidly secured as by welding to thepartition 66. A closure plate 172 is secured as by welding betweenmember 170 and the adjacent shield means 150 so that the lading cannotcome into contact with plate 154.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the presentembodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, and since thescope of the invention is defined by the appended claims, all changesthat fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form theirfunctional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents are thereforeintended to be embraced by those claims.

Iclaim:

1. A railcar comprising a pair of spaced side sheet means and extendinglongitudinally thereof and interconnected with said end sheet means aside sill means secured to the lower part of the lowermost one of saidsheets and extending longitudinally thereof, and center sideplate meansconnecting adjacent ones of said sheets at said cusp, said centersideplate means being disposed outwardly of said sheets and extendinglongitudinally along said cusp to interconnect the associated sidesheets and reinforce and rigidify the overall associated side sheetmeans.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said side sheets and saidcenter sideplate means are formed of different materials, and shieldmeans positioned at the inner surfaces of said side sheets forpreventing contamination oflading by said center sideplate means.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said railcar is provided withtransversely extending partitions at spaced points longitudinallythereof, and joint means operatively connecting each of said partitionswith said center sideplate means.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including a roof, said top sideplatemeans being operatively interconnected between said side sheet means andsaid roof.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said top sideplate means isformed of a different material from that of said side sheet means andsaid roof, and shield means supported at the inner surface of said sidesheet means and said roof for preventing contamination of lading by saidtop sideplate means.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said railcar is provided withtransversely extending partitions at spaced points longitudinallythereof, and joint means operatively connecting each of said partitionswith said top sideplate means.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including a roof supported by theupper portions of said side sheet means.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said roof is of curvedcross-sectional configuration.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said railcar includes acenter sill means extending longitudinally throughout substantially theentire length of said railcar.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said railcar includes aplurality of hoppers disposed at spaced points along the length of saidrailcar.

11. Apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said railcar includes apair of truck means, each of said truck means having a truck bolsterassembly, a body bolster assembly supported above each of said truckbolster assemblies, and web plate means extending upwardly from the bodybolster assemblies to the end floor sheet ofan adjacent hopper.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said side sheets are formedof aluminum and said center sideplate means, said top sideplate meansand said side sill means are each formed of steel.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 12 including mechanical fastener meansfor securing said center sideplate means to said side sheets and forconnecting said top sideplate means to the associated side sheet.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 13 including shield means disposed atthe inner surface of said side sheet means adjacent said centersideplate means, additional shield means disposed at the inner surfaceof said side sheet means and said roof adjacent said top sideplatemeans, each of said shield means being formed ofaluminum.

1. A railcar comprising a pair of spaced side sheet means joined by endsheet means at opposite ends thereof and including a supportingunderframe structure, each of said side sheet means including aplurality of separate curved sheets which as seen from the interior ofthe railcar are each of concave curvature, said sheets defining alongitudinally extending cusp disposed at the longitudinal edges ofadjacent sheets extending along said side sheet means, a top sideplatemeans secured to the upper part of the uppermost one of said sheets andextending longitudinally thereof and interconnected with said end sheetmeans a side sill means secured to the lower part of the lowermost oneof said sheets and extending longitudinally thereof, and centersideplate means connecting adjacent ones of said sheets at said cusp,said center sideplate means being disposed outwardly of said sheets andextending longitudinally along said cusp to interconnect the associatedside sheets and reinforce and rigidify the overall associated side sheetmeans.
 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said side sheets andsaid center sideplate means are formed of different materials, andshield means positioned at the inner surfaces of said side sheets forpreventing contamination of lading by said center sideplate means. 3.Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said railcar is provided withtransversely extending partitions at spaced points longitudinallythereof, and joint means operatively connecting each of said partitionswith said center sideplate means.
 4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1including a roof, said top sideplate means being operativelyinterconnected between said side sheet means and said roof.
 5. Apparatusas defined in claim 4 wherein said top sideplate means is formed of adifferent material from that of said side sheet means and said roof, andshield means supported at the inner surface of said side sheet means andsaid roof for preventing contamination of lading by said top sideplatemeans.
 6. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said railcar isprovided with transversely extending partitions at spaced pointslongitudinally thereof, and joint means operatively connecting each ofsaid partitions with said top sideplate means.
 7. Apparatus as definedin claim 1 including a roof supported by the upper portions of said sidesheet means.
 8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said roof is ofcurved cross-sectional configuration.
 9. Apparatus as defined in claim 1wherein said railcar includes a center sill means extendinglongitudinally throughout substantially the entire length of saidrailcar.
 10. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said railcarincludes a plurality of hoppers disposed at spaced points along thelength of said railcar.
 11. Apparatus as defined in claim 10 whereinsaid railcar includes a pair of truck means, each of said truck meanshaving a truck bolster assembly, a body bolster assembly supported aboveeach of said truck bolster assemblies, and web plate means extendingupwardlY from the body bolster assemblies to the end floor sheet of anadjacent hopper.
 12. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said sidesheets are formed of aluminum and said center sideplate means, said topsideplate means and said side sill means are each formed of steel. 13.Apparatus as defined in claim 12 including mechanical fastener means forsecuring said center sideplate means to said side sheets and forconnecting said top sideplate means to the associated side sheet. 14.Apparatus as defined in claim 13 including shield means disposed at theinner surface of said side sheet means adjacent said center sideplatemeans, additional shield means disposed at the inner surface of saidside sheet means and said roof adjacent said top sideplate means, eachof said shield means being formed of aluminum.